Chapter 183: Estelle Lockwood Suspects She’s Not Rose Lowell’s Daughter

Chapter 183: Chapter 183: Estelle Lockwood Suspects She’s Not Rose Lowell’s Daughter

Estelle lowered her eyes slightly. "I heard that Old Mr. Lockwood was the only one who genuinely tried to find me after I went missing. Naturally, I should go and thank him."

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. He wondered if that was truly the case.

But this old man hadn’t shown much grief after Estelle’s "death" five years ago. Furthermore, it had been a while since she reclaimed her identity, yet Old Mr. Lockwood had never once shown his face.

Old Mr. Lockwood didn’t live in the Lockwood family villa. He and Old Mrs. Lockwood had their own home—slightly smaller than Lockwood Manor, but located right in the heart of Crestfall.

From a distance, they could see Old Mr. Lockwood tending to the plants in his yard. The residents of this villa complex were mostly wealthy, leisurely elderly folks. At that moment, several older gentlemen and ladies were gathered in Old Mr. Lockwood’s yard, admiring his flowers.

Estelle curled her lips into a smile, stepped forward quickly, and called out, "Grandpa."

Instantly, every senior in the yard turned to look.

Old Mr. Lockwood turned his head instinctively. When his eyes met Estelle’s face, the watering can slipped from his hands and hit the ground with a loud CLATTER.

Estelle’s smile deepened. She walked over and picked up the watering can. "Grandpa, why are you being so careless?"

"You, you..." Old Mr. Lockwood suddenly snapped back to his senses. He shuddered, his body trembling visibly.

The visiting elders exchanged bewildered glances. They wondered who this girl was and why she was calling the old head of the Lockwood family "Grandpa." She didn’t look like Noelle, either.

Then, it dawned on everyone—this was the biological daughter of the Lockwood family, the heiress who had been lost for years.

"So it’s Estelle!" one of the elders said, a gratified smile on his face. "It’s good that you’re back. Spend some time with your grandfather. Old Man Lockwood, we’ll take our leave now!"

"Yes, yes. You’ve been talking about this granddaughter of yours for over a decade, ever since the year she went missing. Now that she’s back, you two should have a good catch-up."

The elders left thoughtfully, chatting and laughing as they made their way out.

"That girl Estelle is truly beautiful. Old Man Lockwood is a lucky man. To think those two blockheads in the Lockwood family didn’t even want their own biological daughter."

"Exactly. Old Man Lockwood moved out of Lockwood Manor years ago, didn’t he? He just didn’t want to coddle his son, daughter-in-law, and that adopted daughter."

"Estelle knows how to repay kindness, too. She hasn’t even called those two ’Mom and Dad’ once, yet she came to visit Old Man Lockwood right away and called him Grandpa. I bet Old Man Lockwood is thrilled to death."

"Those two don’t even deserve to be called parents. In the entire Lockwood family, Old Man Lockwood is the only one whose heart aches for Estelle."

The voices gradually faded away, but Estelle managed to catch most of their conversation.

It seemed that in everyone’s eyes, Old Mr. Lockwood genuinely cared for her. Even back then, Rose Lowell had pointed right at her nose and cursed, "If it weren’t for that old man, we never would have brought you back!"

So, there was no denying it... Old Mr. Lockwood, at the very least, genuinely loved her.

But why did Estelle find it so strange?

Estelle handed the watering can back to Old Mr. Lockwood. A trace of awkwardness leaked through his smile. "Estelle, it’s been a long time."

Estelle beamed. "It really has been a long time. Have you been doing well lately, Grandpa?"

"Well enough, well enough," Old Mr. Lockwood said, almost as if defending himself. "I didn’t know you were still alive before. If I had known..."

Estelle chuckled softly. "It’s fine. That’s all in the past now."

For a moment, Old Mr. Lockwood fell silent. He gave an awkward laugh. "That’s good, then."

A lull settled between them. Nathaniel narrowed his eyes, sensing that something was off.

Estelle’s lips curled up again. "By the way, Grandpa, Nathaniel came as well. You should know him."

Old Mr. Lockwood’s thoughts were impossible to read. But as he met Nathaniel’s gaze, a flicker of guilt flashed across his eyes. It was so fleeting that Estelle almost mistook it for her own imagination.

"Of course. It’s Nathaniel. After all, I was the one who pushed for your marriage to go through."

Estelle smiled gently. "Yes, it must be fate. Nathaniel and I came to visit you today to thank you for playing matchmaker back then. If you hadn’t been searching for me all this time, the Lockwood family would never have brought me back. And perhaps, my connection with Nathaniel would have been severed forever."

Estelle noticed that whenever she brought this up, Old Mr. Lockwood’s expression grew incredibly unnatural, though he tried to mask it with a hearty laugh.

Her gaze shifted as she continued, "Back then, after Grandpa died... I mean, after Grandpa Lockwood—the one who adopted me—died, I was only eighteen. Surviving on my own was tough. Thank goodness you found me, Grandpa."

Old Mr. Lockwood’s face instantly stiffened, growing even more unnatural.

Estelle carried on as if she hadn’t noticed. "It’s quite a coincidence. Chairman Lockwood and Ms. Lowell never gave me a name. The name ’Estelle Lockwood’ was actually given to me by Grandpa Lockwood. He just happened to share the same last name. Perhaps it really is fate."

Old Mr. Lockwood forced a cheerful grin. "Yes, talk about fate. What a pity that the kind soul who took you in has already passed away. Sigh... If only I could have met him. I truly wish I could have thanked him in person."

But Estelle suddenly shook her head. "Actually, I don’t know for certain if Grandpa Lockwood is dead. He was just gravely ill at the time, and then he drove me away. He said he didn’t want me to see him as he was dying, and he strictly forbade me from seeing him.

"Later on, he vanished from our home. So I’ve been thinking... Grandpa Lockwood might have just gone somewhere to recover. Maybe he hasn’t fully healed yet, which is why he hasn’t come to see me."

Estelle flashed an expectant smile. "Grandpa, what if Grandpa Lockwood is really still alive, and I invite him over to have a meal with you? What do you think?"

Old Mr. Lockwood’s eye twitched, and cold sweat beaded profusely on his forehead.

He abruptly lowered his head. "Of course, that would be wonderful. He’s your savior, after all. A meal is the least we can do."

Before Estelle could speak, Old Mr. Lockwood rushed on, "Estelle, it’s getting late, and I haven’t prepared anything for dinner. It wouldn’t be proper to make you stay for a meal like this. Why don’t you come over another day, and I’ll personally cook for you. How does that sound?"

Estelle raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised.

She wasn’t oblivious to this blatant attempt to shoo them away. It was just that, in her mind, Old Mr. Lockwood had always been someone who saved face. Even when his attitude toward her had taken a sharp nosedive two months after she initially returned to the Lockwood family, he had kept up appearances and never outright chased her out.

Yet just now, the mere mention of her adoptive Grandpa Lockwood had made Old Mr. Lockwood act as though he were facing a mortal enemy.

Estelle arched an eyebrow. Had she really guessed right? Was Grandpa Lockwood truly connected to the Lockwood family?

She gave a gentle smile. "Alright, it’s a date then."

With that, Estelle and Nathaniel left the yard.

As soon as Estelle’s figure disappeared from sight, Old Mr. Lockwood’s expression darkened. Stripped of his usual calm demeanor, he hurried back into the house and dialed Austin’s number.

"Austin, didn’t you tell me he was dead?"